The partition of India and Pakistan not only created a new nation but it also created a need for a new identity for the 27 million odd people who found themselves now in Pakistan. They could no longer call themselves Indians as they had been for several centuries. Instead of continuing to identify themselves with the ‘Indians’, who they were culturally, ethnically, and genetically a part of, they tried to find roots and identities in the newly emerging Arabs. Just as the newly found nation was finding its roots in religion, so were the people, tracing back their ancestry to the nomads of Arabia.

Almost 65 years after partition, Pakistan continues its quest for an identity. General Zia tried hard to convince Pakistanis and the World that they were Arabs, but Zia ul Haque’s policies, Sharia Law, or an Islamic state does not make Pakistanis Arabs.

Even today amongst all the chaos, upheaval, political and social unrest, you continue to see their resilience and determination pulsate in the streets. You can see the strokes of creativity in their art, you can hear the notes of optimism in their music. When will Pakistanis wake up and realize they have much more to share with their Hindu, Sikh and Christian neighbors than their Arab ideals. They have much more to learn from their enemies than their allies. They have much more to emulate from people they share a common genealogy with than people who they share a common religion with. When will Pakistanis wake up and reclaim their identity….